Cascade Springs, located off of the Alpine Loop in the Uinta National Forest, is a collection of artisan springs that is surrounded by clear pools that are spanned by wooden boardwalks. It’s a great place for families to go to enjoy the outdoors and learn about the local flora and fauna.
*As of June 2015, the upper loop of the Cascade Spring Interpretive trail is closed, as crews are widening and repaving the trail. It should be open in the next few weeks.
Cascade Springs
Distance – 1.25 miles roundtrip
Approximate hiking time – 30 minutes to an hour
Elevation at Trailhead – 6280 feet at lower parking area
Difficulty – Easy
Trail – well-defined paved trail, wooden boardwalk
Amount of water recommended – 1 liter
Bathrooms – At each of the parking areas
Season to hike – Year around
Permits – A 3 day pass for $6 is purchased at the fee stations in American Fork Canyon and up past Sundance in Provo Canyon
Pets – Not permitted
How to get there
From the north (Salt Lake City) take I-15 to exit 287 and go east on State Highway 92 to the mouth of American Fork Canyon where you will enter the Uinta National Forest. At the Ranger fee station you will pay $6 for a 3-day pass. You’ll then follow the signs for the Alpine Scenic Loop up American Fork canyon. Vehicles over 30 feet in length are not recommended on the Alpine Loop. It is 11 miles to the Summit of the Alpine Scenic Loop where the altitude is 8,000 feet. At the summit you will come to a turn off that will be marked Cascade Springs. The road is Cascade Scenic Dr. and it is 6.7 miles from there to Cascade Springs. The altitude at Cascade Springs parking area is 6280 feet.
From the south (Provo) take I-15 to exit 272 (800 North, Orem) and go east 4.2 miles to Highway 189 at the entrance to Provo Canyon. Take Highway 189 up the canyon for 15 miles and turn left on State Highway 92 which becomes the Alpine Scenic Loop. Vehicles over 30 feet in length are not recommended on the Alpine Loop.
Take Rt. 92 for 9 miles to the Alpine Loop Summit. You will pass a Ranger Station when you enter the Uinta National Forest. From the summit take the Cascade Scenic Dr. for 6.7 miles to Cascade Springs.
You can also get to Cascade Springs from the East, however, most of this road is rough gravel and may not be suitable for passenger cars. From the north end of the Deer Creek Reservoir, at the south end of the town of Midway, UT, turn west from South Center Street onto Tate Lane. Go one-half mile and turn north on Stringtown Road then west again on Cascade Springs Drive. Cascade Springs Drive turns into Cascade Scenic Drive. Follow the drive for about 6 miles to Cascade Springs. The elevation gain on this road is around 800 feet. There is a self-pay box at the trailhead. (See the Google Map for this trail at the end of this post)
Hitting the Trail!
There is an upper parking area and a lower parking area for Cascade Springs. We recommend the lower parking lot, as it is closer to the springs. Right next to the lower parking lot is a small yurt which, when open, has posters and signs that talk about natural springs and the habitat found along the trails.
As you head past the bathrooms on the paved trail, you’ll see a gazebo with three or four plaques that look out over Cascade Springs. These plaques point out the names of the mountain peaks that you see in front of you, as well as describes what kind of animals can be seen in the area. After you’re done reading you’ll follow the trail that descends down the paved trail to the wooden boardwalks.
One of the plaques along the Cascade Springs Interpretive trail
The Cascade Springs Interpretive Trail consists of 3 loops. Doing all three loops is just a little over 0.5 miles, so it is suitable for children and makes for a great local family hike. The two loops closest to the parking area is also wheelchair accessible. Along the trail are benches as well as small plaques the describe the local flora and fauna that can be seen. It can take as little as 45 minutes to complete all three loops of the interpretive trail, but take as much time as you’d like as there are benches along the trail.
Along the paths and near the footbridges, small plaques educate visitors on the local flora and fauna, as well as interesting facts about the springs themselves. For example, Cascade Springs produce a whopping 1800 glass of water every second! That comes out to over seven million gallons of fresh water every day!
One of the footbridges over the springs. Note the patch of stinging nettle in the foreground
While the water is pure upon bubbling to the surface, the springs are frequently used by wildlife which makes it unsafe to drink unless purified.
The springs are also home to cutthroat trout, although is unclear exactly how they made to the Cascade Springs shallow pools. The Forest Service believes that some of the trout must have come upstream from Little Deer Creek. These trout can be found near the pools around the boardwalk. Remember that fishing and wading in the Cascade Springs pools is prohibited.
These springs produce 7 million gallons of fresh water daily
What to Bring
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This is a very fun and easy trail, however, there is stinging nettle along some parts it. Here is what stinging nettle looks like.
This can be a popular place in the summer and fall, especially on the weekends. We were lucky and had the whole place to ourselves on a weekday morning, but that is the exception not the rule. The fall colors also make this a great spot for autumn photography.
Enjoy the hike!
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Here is a great spot to look for fish in the clear, shallow pools
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